This invention relates to a carpet stretcher stabilizing device and to a carpet stretcher comprising such a device.
During the installation of carpet, carpet stretchers are often used to stretch the carpet to eliminate creases and wrinkles. It is common to attach one end of the carpet to a floor mounted wood strip, called a “tack strip”, having embedded upwardly extending pins or short nails for engaging the carpet. The carpet is then laid out to the opposite side of the room and the carpet installer then utilizes a carpet stretcher to stretch out the carpet prior to securing the carpet to the opposite side of the room with additional tack strips.
Carpet stretchers, examples of which are well known in the art, typically comprise a tail block for bearing up against a wall, a head that has teeth for gripping a carpet, a shaft or piston member fixed to the head, a cylinder member within which the shaft is slidable, a variable number of interconnectable tubes (based upon the size of the carpet to be stretched) for connecting the cylinder member to the tail block, and a power unit for sliding the head relative to the cylinder member and longitudinally to the stretcher tubes. The power unit typically comprises a lever which is pivoted on the head and attached to the cylinder member by a pivotal link so that the head is forced forward when the lever is depressed. In this manner, the stretcher tubes serve to transmit the forces in use to stretch the carpet.
A disadvantage of the known carpet stretchers is that the stretcher tubes are resiliently flexible and consequently tend to bow sideways during operation, as shown in FIG. 2, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the stretching operation and of the forces being transmitted to the carpet.
In has heretofore been proposed to immobilize the stretcher tubes by attaching to the stretcher tubes a carpet gripper which has teeth or the like for gripping the carpet surface or having an addition brace kit as describe in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,708 issued to Samson on March 28th, 1989. Both proposals have the potential for damaging the carpet if there is any deflection of the stretcher tubes when in use. In addition, the second proposal can be costly and time consuming in applying the additional brace kits for use.
Accordingly, it is believed to be advantageous to provide a less costly means for better stabilizing the stretcher tubes of a carpet stretcher that does not have the potential for damaging the carpet being stretched.